Screening of film about U.S. drug war to benefit local anti-racism organization

SANTA CRUZ -- A local screening of a new documentary about the war on drugs is aimed at highlighting the racial disparities in the criminal justice system.

"The House I Live In" will be shown at the Nickelodeon Theatre on Martin Luther King Jr. Day with a post-film discussion by UC Santa Cruz sociology professor Craig Reinarman. Reinarman, the co-author of "Crack in America: Demon Drugs and Social Justice," has researched and written extensively on national drug policy.

Monday's event, which begins at 7 p.m., is a fundraiser for the Santa Cruz County Community Coalition to Overcome Racism.

"The House I Live In" looks at how criminalization of drugs affects the country and whether it helps to reduce supply or alleviate the problems of addition. The filmmakers suggest that rather than treating drugs as the cause of social problems, our country should treat drug abuse as a symptom of greater social problems like chronic poverty and inequality.

In the meantime, filmmakers Eugene Jarecki and Christopher St. John contend, harsh anti-drug policies have increased suffering and social disintegration in our most vulnerable communities rather than improving them.

Filmed in more than 20 states, the documentary weaves together stories from individuals at all levels of America's drug war, including a drug dealer, a federal judge, a narcotics officer and a grieving mother.